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Queensland is a popular choice for skilled migrants, with its year-round great weather and great career opportunities.

Queensland is an ideal place to work and live, offering a high standard of living and good working conditions, including:

discrimination free workplaces

safe working conditions

comparable wages

entitlements including public holidays and leave.

Queensland is looking for people to fill a range of skill shortages—from engineers to farmers, midwives to tradespeople.

Skilled migrants

If you wish to work and migrate to Queensland, you must first obtain a visa.
Working visas fall into three main categories:

temporary visas

provisional visas, that have pathway to permanent residency

permanent residency.

To find the visa that suits your circumstances, please use the Visa Wizard on the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) website to learn more about the visa options available to you.

Queensland nominates skilled migrants in occupations that are in demand for both provisional visas and permanent residency, which allow you to live and work in Queensland.

If you are alumni who graduated in the last two years from a Queensland university with a Masters or PhD, Queensland may be able to nominate you for permanent residency.

Queensland makes nominations under the following visas:

Skilled – Nominated (subclass 190) visa

Skilled – Nominated or Sponsored (Provisional) (subclass 489) visa.

Each visa has its own features and eligibility criteria which you can explore below.

Eligible occupations

To apply for a skilled visa, you must have an occupation which is listed on one of the Queensland Skilled Occupation Lists. You must meet the DIBP mandatory criteria such as a positive skills assessment and English language ability. Some occupations have specific specialisations or licensing requirements to allow you to work in Queensland.

The Queensland Skilled Occupation Lists are reviewed regularly and updated to reflect current labour market conditions. Some occupations have limited places, and when these places have been filled, further applications for state nomination cannot be accepted.

To check if your occupation is in demand in Queensland, you can download the list for each visa type from the pages below.

Queensland state nomination

Seeking nomination from Queensland has a number of benefits:

an additional 5 points in the DIBP points test for the 190 visa subclass, or an additional 10 points for the 489 visa subclass

allocated higher priority processing by DIBP with your application

Skilled – Nominated (subclass 190) visa

The Skilled – Nominated (subclass 190) visa provides permanent residency for skilled workers who are nominated by a state or territory government.

Skilled – Nominated or Sponsored (Provisional) (subclass 489) visa

The Skilled – Nominated or Sponsored (Provisional) (subclass 489) visa allows nominated skilled workers to stay in Australia for four years, and is a pathway to permanent residency. Applicants currently working in regional Queensland may be eligible for this stream.